Mediterranean Rice Salad
Updated Aug 20, 2025
Mediterranean Rice Salad made with basmati rice tossed with cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, and red onions in a lemon vinaigrette dressing.
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Try my Mediterranean rice salad!
Being Lebanese, Mediterranean cuisine has a hold on my heart! I love the flavors and just had to share my recipe for a Mediterranean Rice Salad. It’s got cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onion and has a briny kick from Kalamata olives.
I started making this rice salad when I needed something light but filling for lunch or a quick dinner. Cooking up some basmati rice and mixing it with these Mediterranean staples is so easy, and the dressing is just a quick whisk away (pun intended!).
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Mediterranean Rice Salad Ingredients
- Rice: I use long-grain basmati rice!
- Persian cucumbers: I dice them up finely. Regular cucumbers work, too.
- Grape tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes also work.
- Red onion: I dice it finely. Read my tips on how to cut an onion.
- Kalamata olives: Get pitted olives.
- Fresh parsley: You can also use fresh basil, mint, or cilantro.
- Olive oil: Use good-quality olive oil for the dressing.
- Lemon juice: I use freshly-squeezed lemon juice for brightness. Read my tips on how to juice a lemon.
- Dijon mustard: Adds a bit of tang to the dressing.
- Spices: Oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper.
How to Make Mediterranean Rice Salad
Mediterranean Rice Salad Recipe
Video
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 3 cups cooked basmati rice
- 3 Persian cucumbers diced
- 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
- ½ red onion finely diced
- ¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place the cooked rice, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, Kalamata olives, and parsley.
- In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
- When ready to serve, pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss to combine.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Variations
- Add protein. Bulk up the salad with grilled chicken tenders, lemon garlic shrimp, or roasted chickpeas. It makes the salad more filling and turns it into a complete meal.
- Make it crunchy. Toss in toasted pine nuts, walnuts, or pistachios for richness and texture.
- Add cheese. I love adding crumbled feta cheese for extra creaminess and a salty kick.
- Try a different dressing. Switch up the flavor profile with a balsamic vinaigrette or tahini-based dressing.
- Stuff it in a pita pocket. Turn the rice salad into a handheld lunch. Try my recipe for homemade pita bread and make your own pita pockets.
Recipe Tips
- Fluff the rice after cooking. Whether you’re making the rice from scratch or using the ready-to-heat kind, it’s important to fluff the rice with a fork after cooking to separate the grains.
- Skip the lettuce. This rice salad is very versatile, but I don’t recommend adding lettuce, because it can get soggy quickly. If you want to use greens, try spinach or kale, because they release less moisture.
- Serve it warm or cold. Chill the salad before serving to give the flavors time to meld and the dressing time to soak into the rice. Or, serve it warm for a comforting meal.
Serving Ideas
- Chicken: Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken, Grilled Chicken Kabobs, Ground Chicken Burgers
- Beef: Beef Shawarma, Ground Beef & Potatoes, Ground Beef Burritos
- Fish: Tomato Poached Fish, Samke Harra, Grilled Cod
FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For best results, store each ingredient separately; don’t assemble and dress the salad until you’re ready to serve.
I don’t recommend freezing salad with rice. The rice itself freezes okay, but once you toss it with the veggies and dressing, the texture can turn mushy and watery when thawed. The fresh veggies will lose their crunch, and the dressing may separate.
If the dressing is too tangy, you can balance it out by adding a bit more olive oil or a small amount of honey or sugar. This will help mellow out the acidity from the lemon juice.
More Mediterranean Recipes
- Mediterranean Couscous Salad
- Mediterranean Kale & Farro Salad
- Lebanese Tabbouleh
- Mediterranean Chopped Salad
- Mediterranean Pasta Salad
- Chicken Shawarma Salad Bowl
- Mediterranean Chicken Salad
- Mediterranean Potato Salad
- Vegan Bulgur Salad
- Mediterranean White Bean Soup
This Mediterranean Rice Salad was originally published on September 12, 2019. I recently updated it with new photography and step-by-step instructions. I modified the recipe to remove chickpeas and feta cheese, and use basmati rice instead of turmeric rice. You can find the original recipe in the recipe card Notes section.
Comments
I made this with leftover saffron rice and added some extra veggies (red cabbage and red pepper) and more olives. It was a big hit at the potluck I took it too. I’m saving this one!
Yay, that’s amazing!! So happy it was a hit! Thank you so much, Ellen!
This salad looked beautiful on the Instagram post and somehow I managed to duplicate it…. and it tasted as good as it looked.
Yay!! Aww, that’s great news! So happy you liked how it turned out. Thanks!
This was simple and delicious. I took it to a potluck and it was easy to make in advance and could be served at room temperature. I made 2/3 white basmati rice and 1/3 brown rice to add some nutrients and fiber.
Yay, so happy you liked it! Thank you, Michele!!
I made this for my dept meeting and of course I tried some. Super simple and delicious (others that tried it said the same) and healthy. I will make this again and I loved the dressing.
So happy you and your coworkers liked it, especially the dressing! Thank you so much, Kristen!
I can’t find the Lundberg Tumeric Rice. How do I make it from scratch?
Hi Ali! I have a recipe for Tumeric Rice that you can find here: https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/turmeric-rice/. Enjoy!
I don’t see in your article how much Turmeric is added to how much rice to make Turmeric rice..
The turmeric rice was the organic ready-to-heat turmeric rice from Lundberg. https://shop.lundberg.com/products/organic-turmeric-rice/
Oh wow, even your toddler loved it!! Thank you so much!